Being that April is National Stress Management Awareness month, writers can take this time to find out which coping mechanisms work best when under a lot of stress. Whether it be deadlines, writer’s block or something going on in your personal life — writers need to find a way to handle their stress in healthy ways.

Below are some helpful tips on how to handle stress as a writer —

1. Designate one place that’s just for writing. Find your safe/creative place.

2. Give yourself enough time. aka avoid procrastination at all costs.

3. Take a power nap. Stress can come from being overworked and exhausted – take a quick power nap to jumpstart the writing process.

4. Exercise.

5. Take a break. If all else fails, take a break and get your mind off of things. This is almost like pressing a Restart button on your brain.